Miersa (Miersan: Mierska), officially the Miersan Commonwealth (Miersan: Rzeczpospolita Mierska), is a sovereign nation in Asura. It borders Aleia and Crethia to the north, Newrey and Midrasia to the west and Veleaz to the south. The country spans an area of 420,132 square kilometres (162,213 square miles), and hosts a population of 81,291,019. Żobrodź, the country's oldest settlement, acts as its capital and largest city.

Known as the eastern boundary of traditional Asura, Miersa was first inhabited by the first Sclavs as early as the late classical period, during which time the Fiorentine Empire came into contact with them and expanded it's empire into the Miersan hinterlands. Although never fully subsuming the lands, there is a definite legacy left by the Fiorentines in the region. The three first significant Miersan states were known as the Three Crowns, and consisted of Zachódnia in the northwest, Wybrzeże in the east and Firencja in the southwest. The states were united under Romuald the Bold via a succession that led to the Union of the Three Crowns in 1257, establishing the Miersan Commonwealth in it's current form. The country soon became a power in Asura, feuding with neighbouring Newrey and Midrasia for control over the eastern portion of the continent.

In 1658, influenced by the Midrasian Civil War, a number of intellectuals and impoverished townspeople staged a coup in the capital, executing the Cesarz, establishing the Miersan Republic and beginning the fifty-four year Interregnum. Nobles and royal sympathisers would succeed in restoring the monarchy in 1712, crowning the young prince Piotr as Cesarz, and establishing an essential noble republic, with the Sejm created to represent the now-powerful nobility. Although attempting to maintain a colonial empire, Miersa largely failed to establish any meaningful colonies, and it's attempts to do so are regarded
as a wasted investment.

Rising tensions in Asura inevitably led to the outbreak of the Great War in 1895. Miersa, eager to regain territories lost to Newrey, Crethia and Midrasia, formed a major power within the Concordat. Unfortunately for Miersan amibitions, the war brought great turmoil to the country, with allied casualties in the millions and no tangible gains to show for it outside of Crethia. Ultimately defeated, Miersa was forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Dullonde, which curbed the power of the Commonwealth, rendering it a secondary power. A socialist revolution would later ravage this country in 1901; and after three years of fighting, the nation would be divided into East and West Miersa, the former joining the Aeian Socialist Union in 1910. The fall of ASU in 1981 granted East Miersa it's independence, and in 1983 it was controversially reunited with West Miersa.

Post-war revolution and division

Following the culmination of the Great War, Miersa was left in a state of turmoil. The indemnities it was forced to pay to the victorious Grand Alliance soon rendered the country essentially bankrupt; and years of war had taken it's toll on the economy regardless. By the turn of the century, the country was experiencing a severe famine, and there was a significant threat of starvation among the country's poorer citizens. From this combination of national humiliation, widespread poverty, food scarcity and the rise of the eastern socialist states, the country entered into the Miersan Revolution. It began with a womens' bread strike in the capital of Żobrodź, but quickly spiraled, as the Socialist Revolutionaries and the National Democratic Labour Party entered into an alliance and initiated a general anti-government insurrection. The rebellion had support among the urban working classes, but among the rural peasantry, there were divided loyalties. Many continued to revere the Cesarz as the embodiment of the Great Creator, and the wealthy majętny class held an economic opposition to revolutionary ideals.

Following the initial chaos of the revolution, neither side held a definitive edge over the other. The revolutionary redcoats maintained a significant presence in the cities, and held a larger industrial capacity, but the counterrevolutionary greycoats held a far greater portion of the country's total area, with the support of the rural regions and control over the remaining grain supply. To prevent the starvation of their supporters, the redcoats therefore had to break the stalemate and gain control of the grain supply. Organising the People's Revolutionary Army, the redcoats launched a bloody offensive into the fertile Ziarnokosz region. Although hard-fought, the offensive ultimately failed. The ensuing infighting among the SRs and the NDLP led to the loss of many major cities held by the redcoats. By early 1903, the nation was roughly divided into the northwest, held by the royalists, and the southeast, held by the revolutionaries. With neither side able to gain an upper hand in the conflict, in November 1903 an armistice negotiated by Carcossican diplomats was signed at Krada, resulting in the end of the fighting. In the December of 1903, the revolutionaries declared the establishment of the Miersan Socialist Republic in the east, and the country was to subsequently remain divided for a further eighty years.

In 1910, East Miersa would be among the signatories to the Treaty of Rhyzevskygrad, and would become a founding state of the resultant Aeian Socialist Union. During this time, the SR-led government would purge most members of the NDLP and enact controversial policies of collectivisation and industrialisation, in addition to beginning a policy of repression against dissident groups, suspected reactionaries and opposition parties, effectively becoming a one-party state. West Miersa, conversely, would repair and strengthen it's ties to the western powers - in particular to tir Lhaeraidd - and would, in 1912, accept the O'Callaghan Plan, allowing for a general reconstruction of the country to occur. It refused to consider demands for a constitutional monarchy, instead maintaining absolute autocracy, and continuing it's repression of opposition groups. An unofficial population exchange occurred, as denizens of the two states would defect to the other. The border between the two countries, and the divided capital, would soon become one of the most militarised regions worldwide.

Cold War

Reunification

Geography

Climate

Biodiversity

Geology and Hydrography

Politics

A relative outlier in Asura following the reformation of tir Lhaeraidd, Miersa is officially-speaking a unitaryautocraticabsolute monarchy. Since May 2018, Jaromir II has reigned as Cesarz i Autokrata, the hereditary, absolute and autocratic head of state and government of the Commonwealth. Sylwester Hugo Wrzesiński has served as Cześnik, an administrative role that has been likened to a deputy head of government, since his appointment by the Cesarz in 1999. Miersa has, ignoring the brief interregnum from 1658 to 1712, been ruled as a monarchy since it's unification under Romuald the Bold following the Union of the Three Crowns in 1257. The Commonwealth does not profess a written constitution, instead maintaining a complex arrangement of statutes, precedents and customs that has been described as an uncodified constitution.

Government

Miersa remains one of the few remaining absolute monarchies in Asura, maintaining a largely autocratic government. The consultative and largely ceremonial Sejm of Miersa assembles in the Main Chamber of the Palace of the Lords in the capital of Żobrodź at least once a month. The body is comprised largely of the country's three estates, with representatives present from the clergy, the nobility and the third estate. The Sejm does not hold the power to pass laws as most legislatures, instead holding the right to suggest legislation for consideration to the Cześnik and by extension to the Cesarz. The noble representatives hold hereditary positions, the clerical representatives are appointed directly by the Pontiff of Krada and the representatives from the third estate are elected by the populace from a list of pre-screened candidates. From among the Sejm nobles, a Lord President is appointed, who has the responsibility to maintain order within the body. According to ancient custom, the nobles and clergy reserve the right to speak first on all issues raised.

As a monarchy, the position of Cesarz i Autokrata - the country's head of state and government - is a hereditary one. As is customary, the Cesarz acts as commander-in-chief of Miersan armed forces, and it is required that all military personnel swear an oath of direct loyalty to the ruling sovereign. As an absolute autocrat, the monarch is empowered to act according to his whims, within the established precedent, statutes and customs. By custom, the Cesarz is expected to review laws drafted by the Sejm, but has no obligation to accept them. Traditionally, the Cesarz has conducted diplomacy with foreign entities directly.

The heir to the throne is known as the Książę Korony, and is required by traditional imperial law to fulfill a number of qualities. Customarily, it is the reigning sovereign's first true-born son, but it is not uncommon for the firstborn son to be disqualified from the succession if they do not meet the criteria set by the laws of succession. Traditionally, the heir must; be bound by the laws of blood, faith and state to the reigning sovereign as a relative, maintain a devotion to the True Church of St. Alydian, be male unless no male candidates are available and to not have acted in bad faith towards the sovereign, realm or church.

In order to aid the Cesarz in governing the realm, the administrative post of Cześnik exists. Individuals, traditionally from the nobility or clergy, can be appointed to the position by the Cesarz, and can be dismissed at will. The role of the Cześnik is to turn the will of the Cesarz into reality, as such it is an administrative rather than an executive role; it has been described as equivalent to a deputy head of government.

Although there are no formal political parties in Miersa due to the lack of an elected legislature, political divisions are present. In general, the Sejm is divided into the pro-western, generally liberal and moderate faction known as the zachodni, and the pro-sovereign, generally conservative faction known as the wschodni. The two factions tend to feud within the Sejm. Historically, the clergy have tended to belong to the wschodni, the third estate to the zachodni, and the nobility split between the two, though there have been notable exceptions. Since the accession of Jan Karol II, there has been a notable favouring of the western zachodni faction.

Ethnic groups

Modern Miersa is largely ethnically homogeneous, with the 2015 census reporting that 95.1% of the population, roughly 77,307,759 people, identified as Miersan, with only 4.9% of the population reporting a minority ethnicity or nationality. Most Miersan people are of distinctly Sclavonic origin, with an admixture of Fiorentine and Almannic groups. Historically, the country has been home to sizable Ksaiist and Almannic minorities, although in modern times these have largely disappeared. The Ksaiist population declined largely due to repressive policies and debated ethnic cleansing undertaken by West Miersan authorities during the 1940s, while the coastal Almannic minorities were targeted as 'enemies of the proletariat' by the East Miersan government, and systematically purged during the Red Terror.

Bassac people make up the single largest non-native minority in Miersa, having arrived as migrants from the Miersan colony prior to the transfer of the colony to Midrasian authorities at the end of the Great War. They enjoyed citizenship status due to a blank cheque given by the Cesarz, and were largely comprised of Miersan collaborators and wealthy individuals who feared that they would be targeted by the Midrasian authorities; although there were also large numbers of lower class migrants who were attracted by better job prospects. In the modern day, they make up an integral part of the Miersan nation.

Language

Religion

Since the Union of the Three Crowns in 1257 and the subsequent baptism of Romuald the Bold and his new realm, Alydianism has been the sole official established religion in the Miersan Commonwealth. Compared to the rest of Asura, there is a high level of power held by religious officials; compared to as in the country's past, however, it is at a much diminished level. Although Orthodox Alydianism was initially the established branch of the faith, a gradual process of separation and successive antipontiffs led to the emergence of Testimonial Alydianism; which holds that the title of Pontiff of Laterna is held by an illegitimate candidate, instead claiming that the Pontiff of Krada is the true head of the church. The Testimonial church is sometimes grouped with the Puritan sects, though as it's rejection of the Book of Reform is based on temporal - rather than theological - grounds, it refutes the association. Doctrinal and structural differences between the Orthodox and Testimonal churches are minimal, though the latter is generally more accepting of pre-Alydian traditions and syncretism. The Cesarz is considered an honourary head of the church.

Despite no clear separation of church and state, there exists a certain level of religious tolerance and freedom within the country. There continues to be a level of discrimination against other faiths by the government and by employers, though there had been efforts under previous Cesarz Jan Karol II to alleviate this. Other branches of the Alydian faith are generally treated with far more respect than entirely different faiths; though there is a particular prejudice against Ksaiism, due to it's associations with the historical Miersan Republic. Additionally, irreligion - and it's strong association with the former communist regime in East Miersa - is generally viewed with suspicion.

According to the 2015 census, just over 86% of Miersans identify as a follower of the Alydian faith. The overwhelming majority of these, over 77% of the total population, claim adherence to the Testimonial denomination. Of the remaining Alydian population, most adhere to the Orthodox branch of the faith, with far smaller numbers subscribing to Puritan branches. Following Alydianism, a lack of religious affiliation is the second largest group, comprising just over 9% of the population. The irreligious population is centred in the country's eastern territories, following the borders of the former East Miersa, while Testimonial Alydianism is strongest in the western heartland of the country. No other affiliation in the country records more than 2% of the population as an adherent; the third largest grouping being Trúathi at 1.5%, which is found largely in the more Lhedwinic-influenced north. Perunism, a form of paganism which venerates the Old Sclavic thunder god Perun, holds 1.1% of the population as adherents, while 0.4% of the population - mostly migrant communities - maintain a connection to the Irsadi faith. Other minor religions hold 3.1% of the population between them. Among these is Ksaiism, which is found mostly in the east where it is more ready tolerated, and faiths which are associated with migrant communities, such as Derwyedd, Göktanrism and Cotrism.

Miersan influence on the Testimonial denomination of Alydianism is so great that the sect is often paraded as a state church; and the close working relationship of the Miersan Cesarz and the Pontiff of Krada certainly works to uphold this view. Conversely, the sect has also had a great deal of influence on Miersa. Church attendance tends to be high in the western half of the country, and lower in the eastern half. Anti-Ksaiist discrimination, and the lack of government action against it, has made Miersa a target of western criticism. The previous Cesarz, Jan Karol II, has worked to diminish such discrimination as a response, to improve relations with the west.